Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

by Dorothy Reinhold on May 24, 2019


Print This Post Print This Post Who can say no to a peanut butter graham cracker crust bottom topped with milk chocolate? Not me! This is Pat Prager's recipe for Peanut Butter Bars from the fictional “Kitchens of the Great Midwest.” The recipe won Pat 6 blue ribbons at the county fair. Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars for the win!

Who can say no to a peanut butter graham cracker crust topped with milk chocolate? Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars for the win!

I’m a great fan of fiction in which a recipe is included here and there, in service to the story.I’m going to jump the gun and tell you the punchline to my latest book discovery: Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars. 

Stack of 4 Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars from the book Kitchens of the Great Midwest and Pat Prager I’ll back up. My latest book love from the public library is “Kitchens of the Great Midwest,” by J. Ryan Stradel, a sweet and savory novel about the American heartland, Lutheran church bake-offs, chile pepper eating contests and the opening of deer season. Here’s what the jacket sleeve says about it:

Cover Kitchens of the Great Midwest“Midwestern chef Lars Thorvald has three loves in his life — his kitchen, his wife, Cynthia, and his newborn daughter, Eva. When Cynthia falls in love with wine and a dashing sommelier, he’s left to raise Eva on his own, and devotes his life to sharing his passions with his only child, starting with pureed pork shoulder.

“After a childhood shaken by tragedy, Eva will find solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. She is blessed with a once-in-a-generation palate and ultimately becomes the mysterious chef behind the most sought-after dinner reservation in the country.”

I was hooked from the first page, and by the time we got to the chapter on the Lutheran church baking competition, I had my computer out to copy several recipes, starting with Barb Ramstad’s Kraft Caramel Bars, and Celeste Mantilla’s Mississippi Mud Bars, and finally, Pat Prager’s Peanut Butter Bars, which in mid-book had won five blue ribbons at the County Fair Bake-Off, and by the end of the book, had bagged a sixth blue ribbon.

Six blue ribbons are sufficient for me. And there are only five ingredients in the recipe!

Grab a copy of this fun, easy read, and then let’s make these bars.

Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Who can say no to a peanut butter graham cracker crust topped with milk chocolate? Not me, and no one from the County Fair in “Kitchens of the Great Midwest,” either. Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars for the win!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup Grade A butter, melted
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon Grade A butter

Directions

  1. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Pat into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Melt the chips and 1 teaspoon butter and spread on top of the bars.
  2. Set in the refrigerator until firm.
  3. Cut into bars.
  4. Store bars in refrigerator.

Notes

Recipe source: Fictional character Pat Prager in the novel "Kitchens of the Great Midwest," by J. Ryan Stradel.

Keep cold: When left at room temperature, these bars get too soft and squishy. They should be stored in the refrigerator and served cold, for best results. You may be able to freeze them; I can't tell you for sure because they disappeared before I could try that!

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/blue-ribbon-no-bake-peanut-butter-bars/

pin this please!Pin the image below for Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars to your Pinterest board to save it. If you don’t have Pinterest boards,  go visit mine!

Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars Pinterest Pin

Now what are you waiting for?  Get the book, make the bars, and tell me what you think about both.

And hey, apparently I am not the only one intrigued by this recipe! A couple of other bloggers made it as well, and don’t they all look scrumptious?

Jesse Doogan on Bookriot (below)Kitchens_of_the_Great_Midwest_peanut_butter_bars-Jesse-Doogan-Bookriot

Benjamin Plante on Yes and Yes  (below)Pat Prager’s Peanut Butter Bars from 'Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Claire Quinn on Grimm LITring  (below)Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars from Kitchen of the Great Midwest made by Grimmlitring

Stephanie Grossman on Books on Tape  (below)Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars from Kitchens of the Great Midwest made by Stephanie Grossman

Mary on Home is Where the Boat Is  (below)Peanut Butter Bars from Kitchens of the Great Midwest on Home is Where The Boat Is

Michael Lee West from Designs by Gollum (she made a fancy marbelized swirl on top!) (below) Peanut Butter Bars from Kitchens of the Great Midwest made by Michael Lee West from Designs by Gollum

This recipe was originally posted here Sept. 2, 2016 and has been republished today.

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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

Kim Seghers June 27, 2019 at 6:32 am

Your no bake peanut butter bars look delicious. Wish I had a few right now …nom nom !

Reply

Ashley F May 31, 2019 at 9:02 am

No bake recipes are a must right now! Thanks for sharing!

Reply

Toni | Boulder Locavore May 30, 2019 at 5:56 pm

These are totally irreisistible!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 30, 2019 at 7:00 pm

Toni,
Thanks! I agree!

Reply

Megan @ MegUnprocessed September 8, 2016 at 1:36 am

These bars look great!

Reply

Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons September 7, 2016 at 7:20 pm

This is so funny, this is a quintessential Minnesota recipe that we all grew up-in fact we posted this on our blog for “Kids in the Kitchen” before I even read the book…because all of us know this recipe by the time we’re 5 around here! It’s a winner!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold September 11, 2016 at 8:20 am

Lane,
Yep, the old-school recipes that are just *in your bones* can really, truly be the best. I adore this recipe. I wish it didn’t have to be kept in the refrig though. Ah well, small price to pay for deliciousness.

Reply

Johnna September 6, 2016 at 12:56 pm

The book sounds like a really fun read. Adding it to my list. But first, must make these bars!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold September 6, 2016 at 4:35 pm

Johnna,
The bars….OH the bars!

Reply

Chrystal @ Gluten-Free Palate September 6, 2016 at 11:23 am

Love how thick the peanut butter filling is!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold September 6, 2016 at 4:35 pm

Chrystal,
Yep, it is a mix of peanut butter, butter and crushed graham crackers, which is the body of the bar.

Reply

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